SKN | VeChain CEO Sees Blockchain as Key to Establishing Trust in AI Agents

Key Points:

• Blockchain as an AI Trust Layer: VeChain co-founder and CEO Sunny Lu argues that blockchain could provide the identity, reputation, and accountability systems needed to build trust in autonomous AI agents.
• Digital Passports and Agent Economies: Lu envisions AI agents operating with digital identities, verifiable reputations, and smart contracts that facilitate transactions between agents and people.
• New Opportunities for Individual Expertise: Agent-building platforms such as VeWorld.ai could allow people without programming skills to turn professional knowledge, specialized experience, and personal interests into commercial services.

Blockchain technology could find a new adoption opportunity as autonomous artificial intelligence agents become more capable of conducting transactions and performing tasks independently. While much of the AI industry has focused on improving model capabilities, questions surrounding identity, accountability, and trust are becoming increasingly important as agents operate with less direct human supervision.

VeChain co-founder and CEO Sunny Lu believes blockchain could provide the infrastructure needed to address these challenges. He argues that autonomous agents operating continuously require a system through which users can verify their identities, assess their reputations, and establish accountability for their actions.

Speaking during Cointelegraph’s Chain Reaction show on Wednesday, Lu described blockchain as a potential foundation for this emerging trust infrastructure.

VeChain Proposes Blockchain-Based Identity for AI Agents

Lu’s argument centers on the need for a new accountability framework as AI agents become more independent.

Unlike conventional software tools that primarily respond to direct user instructions, autonomous agents can perform activities continuously and interact with other systems, businesses, and individuals. This creates additional questions about who controls an agent, whether it can be trusted, and how responsibility should be established when something goes wrong.

Lu described blockchain as a suitable solution, stating that it could support a decentralized credibility system for autonomous agents.

Under his proposed model, each agent would have a digital passport containing its identity and reputation information. The system could also track the reputation of the individuals or organizations responsible for creating those agents.

Smart contracts would provide another component by facilitating transactions between autonomous agents or between agents and human users.

This approach could establish a framework in which interactions are supported by verifiable records rather than relying exclusively on the reputation of centralized service providers.

VeChain is developing this concept through VeWorld.ai, an agent-building platform that uses its blockchain infrastructure. The initiative extends the company’s broader efforts to apply blockchain technology to real-world business applications, including supply-chain tracking and food traceability.

AI Agents Could Turn Individual Expertise Into Businesses

Beyond identity and accountability, Lu sees AI agents as a way to make software-based entrepreneurship more accessible.

He compared the opportunity to the expansion of mobile application marketplaces, which allowed individual developers to distribute products and generate income without requiring the resources of large technology companies.

Agent-building platforms could extend similar opportunities to people who have specialized knowledge but limited programming experience. Professionals, local experts, and individuals with specific hobbies or interests could potentially develop agents that provide services based on their expertise.

Lu described several personal experiments demonstrating the range of possible applications. These included an educational agent designed for his daughter, another intended to support his mother’s daily routine and recovery, and a virtual employee developed to help an acquaintance’s shop in Milan manage purchasing, inventory, sales, and operations.

These examples illustrate how AI agents could move beyond general-purpose chat interfaces into specialized digital services that perform practical tasks.

If accessible development platforms become sufficiently capable, individuals may be able to package their knowledge into services that operate continuously and reach customers beyond their immediate professional networks.

Trust and Control Remain Important Industry Concerns

The expansion of autonomous agents also raises concerns about dependence on third-party providers.

In an October interview, Animoca Brands chairman Yat Siu discussed the potential for cryptocurrency traders to use AI agents to execute activities around the clock. However, he warned that users could become dependent on services and infrastructure they do not control.

This concern highlights a broader issue facing the emerging agent economy. While autonomous systems may improve efficiency and expand access to automated services, users still need confidence in the organizations operating those systems and the mechanisms governing their actions.

Blockchain-based identity and reputation systems could potentially address part of this challenge by making certain records independently verifiable. However, the effectiveness of such systems will depend on how identities are established, how reputations are maintained, and how accountability is enforced.

Outlook

The intersection of blockchain and autonomous AI agents could create a new category of digital infrastructure focused on identity, reputation, and machine-to-machine transactions. As agents become more capable of interacting with financial systems, businesses, and other software, the need for reliable verification mechanisms may become increasingly important.

For VeChain, VeWorld.ai represents an effort to position its blockchain ecosystem within this emerging market. The broader opportunity will depend on whether developers and businesses adopt decentralized identity and accountability systems as practical requirements rather than optional features.